ADMIRAL FIELD (Sussex, Eastbourne)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have considered the inequality in the treatment of the Royal Marine forces, who have been landed with the Naval Brigade, in the matter of separation allowances as compared with the other armed forces in South Africa with a view to the removal of such inequality; will he explain why under present regulations the marines if married are deprived of the lodging allowance of 3s. 6d. per week when ordered for embarkation afloat, whilst the soldier's wife who is married on the strength of the regiment is granted separation allowance of 8d. per day with 4d. per day for each child; and whether the lodging allowance of 6d. per day now granted to the marine when married on shore can be continued in all cases when embarked afloat.
§ * THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. GOSCHEN,) St. George's, Hanover SquareThe question raised by the hon. and gallant Member is inherent in the conditions of service in the Royal Navy, and the regulations governing the allowances of the Royal Marines cannot be made throughout identical with those obtaining in the Army. No distinction is made between Marines when serving afloat, and when landed from one of H.M. ships for shore operations, as a portion of a Naval Brigade while still borne on ships' books, as in operations in which the services of the Marines are lent for a time as an adjunct to the land forces. When not borne on ship's books and serving with the Army, a Marine receives all Army allowances at existing Army rates. With regard to the last general question, I am not prepared to revise the scale of pay of the Marines after the concession which I was glad to be able to make to them last year.